Sheet-metal can or box.



F. WATTNE.

SHEET METAL GAN 0R BOX. APPLIOATIOE FILED 'JULY'20,-.'1.999.

Patented Apr. 19, 1910.

UNITED STATES PATENT GFFIC'E.

FREDRIK WATTNE, OF STAVANGER, NORWAY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HAZE]? TO H. B.RITCHIE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHEET-METAL CAN 0R BOX.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 19, 1916- Applicationfiled July 20, 1909. Serial No. 508,652.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDRIK W'A'r'rNn, of Stavanger, Norway, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Sheet- Metal Cans orBoxes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a hermetically sealed can or box forpreserving articles of food and other merchandise,one of the walls ofthe can being provided with a weakened opening line so arranged that themajor portion of the wall on which the line is formed, may be detachedfrom the remaining portion by a key adapted to wind the removed portioninto a roll and thus form an opening through which the contents of the.can may be removed.

The invention has for its object to provide an improved constructionwhereby the removable portion of the wall or top of the can may beconveniently engaged with and wound upon a key for the purpose offorming an opening in the can.

The invention consists in the improvements which I will now proceed todescribe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of thisspec1fication,Figure 1 represents atop plan view of a can or boxembodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents a section on line 22 ofFig. 1. Fig. Srepresents a top plan view of a portion of a can or boxshowing another embodiment of the invention. Fig. represents a sectionon line 4.4= of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 represents a top plan view of a portionof the can or box showing another embodiment of the invention. Fi 6represents a section on line 66 of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 represents a side viewof the can opening key. Fig. 8 represents a fragmentary sectional viewof the form of can shown in Figs. 1 and 2,'with the key applied thereto.F ig. 9 represents a fragmentary sectional view of the form of can shownin Figs. 3 and at, the key being' shown in its applied position. Fig.lO'represents an enlarged section on line 1010 of Figs. 1 and 8. Fi s.11 and 12 are sections similar to Fig. 10, i lustrating the action ofthe key in detaching the end portion of the tongue.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings,12 represents the body of a sheet metal can or box, hereshown as of the form of a sardine can, the bottom and sides comprisingthe body 12 being made in a single piece.

13 represents the top of the box, the margirl of which is united to themargin of the body by a suitable interlocking seam or joint formed in awell known manner.

In carrying out my invention, I form in a suitable part of the can orbox, preferably the top 13, a weakened opening line 14:

which is substantially V-shaped, and has two elongated oblique stretcheswhich converge and form the main portions of the V, and are connected bya short stretch forming the point of the V. Said line, as shown in Fig.1, is so arranged as to form the incipient edges and end of asubstantially V-shaped tongue which occupies the major portion of thetop 13, the ends 15 of the opening line being preferably separated by aconsiderable forming two fingers 17 and 1-8, the finger 17 beingprovided with a cnetrating point.

The top 13 is provided with a shoulder which stands at an angle to thegeneral plane of the top, and is adapted.- to form. a

bearing for the penetrating finger 17, the

arrangement of the shoulder being such that when the point of the fingeris pressed against it, the finger isadapted to be'forced through thematerial of the top at the narrow end or point of the V-sha'ped tonguewithout liability of slipping or glancing, and thus failing to penetratethe top. The said shoulder is in such proximity'to the opening line 14;that when the finger 17 has penetrated the shoulder, it extendsunder thenarrow end of the tongue, said narrow end being interposed between thefingers 17 and 18, so that a rotary movement of the key will detach thenarrow end of the tongue from the top 13,- and commence winding theupwardly above the plane tongue upon the key, the winding operationcausing a progressive detachment of the tongue from the remainingportion of the top along the opening line 14 until all parts, from itsnarrow end to the end 15, of the opening line, have been detached.

In Figs. 1, 2, and 8, 19 represents the said shoulder which is formed byembossing the top 13 within the narrow end of the tongue, a boss 20being thus formed which projects of the,top 13 and has a recessed innerside. The penetrating finger 17 is pressed against the shoulder 19 inthe direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 7, the shoulder forming abearing which insures the accurate passage of the finger 17 through theshoulder and the interposition of the narrow end of the tongue betweenthe fingers 17 and 18, as indicated in Fig. 8. The key being in thisposition, its rotation will cause the detachment of the narrow end ofthe tongue from the adjacent portions of the top, and the winding of thetongue upon the key. The recessed inner side of the boss 20 is formed tointerlock with the key finger 17 when the key is rotated to open thebox, as indicated in Figs. 10, 11, and 12, this interlocking preventingliability of the key slipping from the tongue during the initial stageof the-opening operation.

In Figs. 3 and 4:, 21 represents the shoulder whichin this case isformed in the portion of the top which is not removed, the shoulderbeing outside of and in close proximity to the narrow end of the tongue,and permitting the insertion of the pointed finger of the key in themanner illustrated in Fig. 9. The shoulder 21 is one of the narrow endsof a depression 22 formed in the top 13, said depression being narrowand elongated and preferably having the general form 0 an arrow pointingtoward the narrow end of the tongue, and indicating to the operator thedirection of pressure required to engage the pointed finger 17 with thenarrow end of the tongue.

In the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the top 13 is provided witha boss 20 and a narrow, elongated depression 22 these being arran ed sothat the end of the boss forming t e shoulder 19 is practically thecontinuation of the end of the depression constituting the shoulder 21,a shoulder being thus rovided which has the combined height of theshoulders 19 and 21. The shoulder 21 is one of the narrow ends of thedepression 22, the elongated sides of said depression being in closeproximity to each other and arranged to guide the key toward theshoulder formed by the narrow inner end of the depression, and preventthe key from slipping sidewise when pressed against said shoulder.

The embodiment of my invention last deeeeaaa greater certainty ofproperly engaging the key with the narrow end of the tongue.

By reference to Figs. 10, 11 and 12, it will be seen that the finger 17of the key, when pushed through the shoulder 19, occupies the recessedinterior of the boss 20, and that the finger 17 is caused by therotatlon of the key to engage the recess at the inner side of the boss,as shown in Fig. 11. The key is thus securely engaged or interlockedwith the tongue, so that it is not liable to slip ofi from the sameduring the operation of winding the tongue upon the key.

In each of the constructions above described, the shoulder furnishing anabutment for the penetrating end or the key is located below the marginof the can so that the portion of the wall containing said shoulderwhich is ofi'set to form the shoulder, does not in any case projectupwardly, so far as to be liable to be subjected to external pressuretending to indent the same. The inwardly ofiset portion or depression 22is located entirely below the outer surface of the wall or top 13.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal can or box having in the inner side ofone of its wallsa weakened substantially V-shaped opening line forming the incipientedges and end of a substantially V-shaped tongue, the said wall havingalso an inwardly oflset ortlon one end of which forms a bearing or apenetrating key located outside and below the weakened line at the endportion of the tongue and below the margin of the can, the sides of saidofi'set portion bein arranged to guide the key toward said s oulder.

2. A sheet metal can or box having in the inner side of one of its wallsa weakened substantially V-shaped opening line forming the incipientedges and end of a substantially V -shaped tongue, the said tonguehaving an outwardly ofiset portion constituting an outwardly projectingboss having a recessed inner side and located within the opening linenear the narrow end of the tongue, the margin of said boss forming abearing for a penetrating key adapted to engage the end portion of thetongue, and the recessed inner side of the boss being adapted to beinterlocked with the penetrating portion of said key when the key isrotated to open the can.

3. A sheet metal can or box having in the inner side of one of its wallsa weakened substantially V-sha ed opening line forming the incipient eges and end of a substantially V-sha edtongue, said wall having aninwardly oli set portion constitutmg a key-guiding depression outsidethe weakened line, and an outwardly ofi'set portion constibeing suchthat the portion of the key which tuting a key-engaging boss locatedwithin the is guided b said depression and penetrates weakened line,said boss forming a part of said shoul er engages the recessed inner thenarrow end of the tongue, and having a surface of said boss.

5 recessed inner side adapted to be interlocked In testimony whereof Ihave afiixed my 15 with an opening key, one end of the depressignature,in presence of two witnesses.

sion constituting a shoulder which is adja- FREDRIK WATTNE. cent to andoutside said line, and forms a Witnesses: bearing for the penetratingend of said key, J. E. TURsLANn,

10 the relative positions of the recess and boss SARA HEGLAND.

